


red carnations

by LydianLyre



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, Illness, Naoto Investigates, Nihilism, Nonbinary Character, Other, Terminal Illnesses, talk of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 11:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11289858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LydianLyre/pseuds/LydianLyre
Summary: After training in the Secret Laboratory, the team finds out that not all status ailments can be cured easily. Kanji and Naoto take this a lot harder than the others.





	red carnations

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Like Hibiscus Vines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8874688) by [The Results are Iridescent (flyingllamas)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingllamas/pseuds/The%20Results%20are%20Iridescent). 
  * Inspired by [Like Hibiscus Vines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8874688) by [The Results are Iridescent (flyingllamas)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingllamas/pseuds/The%20Results%20are%20Iridescent). 



> This takes place basically right after Naoto's dungeon and before Bad Things happen. I haven't played P4G. I use they/them pronouns for Naoto because they make more sense to me for their character. Despite being entirely different fandoms, I love the use of this prompt from "Like Hibiscus Vines" by The Results Are Iridescent. Read that if you like Pokemon Sun/Moon!

It made a certain amount of sense for the underground laboratory to house a number of mysterious illnesses. After all, it fit with the associated genre as well as with Naoto themselves, who was interested in the topic. Luckily for the Investigation Team, no illness couldn’t be cured from the assortment of medicines on hand or from a good night’s rest. Except for one that they didn’t realize until it was far to late.

If anyone was to ask Naoto, they would blame themselves.

 

*****************

NAOTO SHIROGANE

INVESTIGATION JOURNAL

“HANAHAKI” DISEASE

VICTIM: KANJI TATSUMI

SYMPTOMS: INTENSE COUGHING OFTEN LEADING TO EXPULSION OF BLOOD, LEAVES OR FLOWERS. SORE THOART. TROUBLE BREATHING. POSSIBLE FEVER??? WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT DISEASE, WITH VERY FEW CASES IN PAST. OFTEN CONSIDERED FOLKLORE OR SUPERSTITION. THE FEW SCIENTISTS THAT HAVE LOOKED INTO THE DISEASE CLAIM THAT IT IS BROUGHT ON BY A CERTAIN COMBINATION OF HORMONES, AND CAN BE CURED NATURALLY. HOWEVER, SURGERICAL REMOVAL IS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO EMOTIONAL TRAUMA.

TREATMENT:

 

“Kanji-kun, I appreciate your concern for my free time and for the case, but I would argue this takes precedence.” Naoto frowned at the blank portion of their journal before looking at the patient in question. They had been training last week but stopped due to what had thought to be a cold by Kanji. So instead they all sat around their usual table- minus Yukiko, and thankfully Teddy, both of which were called away for work. It was a serious topic that needed to be addressed and his comments would only derail any progress.

“’S nothing. Weird, but its nothing time can’t heal.” Kanji brushed off, for once wishing they were talking about the case. Ever since Naoto had bashfully explained _why_ he caught the weird flower lung virus, that it was due to ‘unrequited love’ he knew he was screwed. Everyone else did too, and seemed to be waiting for him to bite the bullet and confess already. Well, everyone else but Naoto, who took it as a scientific discovery and seemed to try to spend every moment she could with him. Kanji never realized that when he jokingly said “Naoto is going to be the death of me,” it would ever be true. Now it was true in more ways than one, with her constantly hovering.

“Naoto is right, Kanji! The longer you ignore it the worse it’ll get,” Rise chimed in, a shit-eating grin from her clever word play. “You shouldn’t just suffer when it’s so easy to cure.”

“Rise is right, Kanji. I don’t know why it happened this way, but this is no different from having to face your shadow.” Yu was more sympathetic, laying his hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. “It’s not fun or easy, but once you do, you can move on and be done with it.”

“That is a good point, Senpai.” Naoto started, completely missing the subtext of the conversation. “It is likely due to the anomalous properties of the TV world itself. It would make sense, then, that the cure would be related to shadows as well. After all, the TV world seems to be based around facing truth, so if it isn’t a standard battle illness than it would be a truth related shadow illness.” They began scribbling in their journal at this revelation as the others looked at Kanji with a mixture of sympathy and pity. This only increased as Kanji hacked up a fully formed flower.

“What _is_ it? Do you know?” Chie said, leaning in to see while Kanji pulled it away and hid it in his pocket.

“Probably some weird alien flower.” Yosuke said, pulling Chie back before she tipped the table.

“Kanji-kun, let me see.” Naoto demanded sternly, trying to hide her curiosity. Kanji showed it to her, presenting the small bud in his hand, still bloody. He didn’t like how readily he gave in, but he supposed that’s what got him into this mess in the first place.

“I believe this is a carnation, actually.” Kanji’s head shot up.

“Really? That’s nothing special. I give my Ma carnations every Mother’s day.” Kanji said, both relieved and slightly horrified that a benevolent flower could be killing him. His mother had figured out what was wrong, treating it like a normal cold. How would she feel if she found out her favorite flower killed him?

“Mhm. Carnations have been used for a very long time, and each color has a different meaning. The type you gave were likely pink, or white. Red is often associated with deep love and admiration, so while it could be given as a Mother’s day gift it is not as common.”

Rise seemed impressed. “How do you know all of that? I don’t see that coming up a lot in cop cases.” Naoto ducked their head at this.

“Well, they…were often the flowers I would give my mother. My grandpa had given me a book about the various meanings and let me decide which one to give.”

“Aww! That’s so sweet! Senpai, can you give me red carnations for White Day?” Rise cooed, wrapping an arm around Yu. He seemed unamused and turned back to Kanji.

“While that’s all well and good, it doesn’t solve our problem. I’d hate to have to resort to surgery for something that happened because of the case, if that’s what you chose Kanji, I will support you.” Yu looked upset, clearly, at being unable to help. He had even asked the Velvet room for advice but they had none- like with Saki, they couldn’t interfere with his journey and death couldn’t be undone. The best Yu could do was to prevent it however he could.

“It’s getting dark and we are going nowhere with this,” Yosuke complained. “I got to make sure Teddy hasn’t destroyed anything. Bye.” With that, he left.

“We will visit this later. Just give it some thought, Kanji. And Naoto, you should take a break from this and look back towards the case. We’re counting on your expertise.” Yu said, getting up as the group disbanded. He walked away before seeing the troubled look on Naoto’s face. He had only said it to give Kanji some space, but Naoto felt like they had been slapped. ‘Stop overthinking things,’ that little voice scolded, ‘or you could cost more lives than his.’

That was just the thing, though. The whole reason Naoto didn’t make friends. While they trusted no one on the team to be the killer, they couldn’t guarantee that everyone would make it out alive. They were dealing with a serial killer, after all. Who’s to say that they wouldn’t kill them by any means necessary when the time came? It wouldn’t be the first time Naoto had seen someone killed on the force. But this was different. Kanji was both a close friend and ally. Plus, while he would protect anyone as need be, he was competent enough in battle with various healers on standby. Even outside the TV world he was fit and sturdy, making him less likely to sustain serious damage. Plus, the killer clearly seemed adamant about using the TV world, making their victims sometimes few and far between, depending on the weather. While that certainly wasn’t an excuse to elongate the case, it did give them time to investigate. The killer would take their time but this disease wouldn’t, and Naoto was indirectly at fault.

His death would be on their hands.

Naoto went back to their journal.

*****************

TREATMENTS:

CURE SAID TO BE WHEN LOVE IS REQUITED, ACCORDING TO LEGEND. GIVEN THE SYMBOLISM BEHIND THE FLOWER AFFLICTING HIM, THIS SEEMS TO THE A PROBABLE THEORY. HOWEVER IT IS UNKNOWN WHO KANJI TATSUMI SHARES UNREQUITED FEELINGS TOWARDS SO THIS OPTION IS CURRENTLY NOT POSSIBLE. CURE LIKELY TO BE RELATED TO DISCOVERING THIS HIDDEN TRUTH SIMILAR TO SHADOW PHENOMENON.

IF THIS IS TRUE, THAN PERHAPS WITH FURTHER INVESTIGATION WITH KANJI COULD BE THE CURE ITSELF.

 

 *****************

He spotted them just in time for Kanji to speed up on his walk home from the store.

“Kanji. Do you know who this disease could be referring to?”

That had stopped him in his tracks. “What?” he said.

“Do you know-”

“No, not that. Did you just call me Kanji?” Kanji said, flushed as he asked. Naoto was taken aback.

“Honorifics hardly matter right now, Kanji...kun. For once I’d actually advise you stay home and rest. However I feel I am close to a breakthrough.” Naoto rambled, caught off guard and flustered. They readjusted their cap and composed themselves.

Kanji wasn’t super sure that was a good thing or not. Still, to finally drop the formalities brightened up his pretty bleak day. He had actually snuck out of his room to go get groceries while Ma was working the shop, since she cooped him up as much as she could.

Except he was trapped, now.

“Listen Naoto…” Kanji started, before coughing haggardly. “I do appreciate…this. All you’re doing. But its not going to help. I’m not getting the surgery.” Kanji stood by that. While dying would definitely suck, it felt inevitable and he didn’t want to die in the same god forsaken hospital as his old man. He wouldn’t make Ma do that twice, even if it meant hacking up a lung until he keeled over.

Naoto didn’t blink. “You don’t have to get the surgery though. People have survived this without it, we just have to figure out what revelation that you need to have in order to recover. As per my current theory, at least.”

“Can’t help you there.” He turned despite it being the opposite way back home.

“That’s expected. Just answer a few questions then.” Naoto smiled, feeling the situation to be a tad nostalgic. “Why won’t you get the surgery?”

“I don’t like hospitals. Too many people die there.” Kanji said, shifting his bags to one arm.

Naoto inspected him for that. They leaned forward just a bit, squaring their shoulders, as practiced in the past. “Not due to the supposed emotional trauma? I understand that the uncertainty can be intimidating.”

“Don’t care ‘bout that. I’m fine with being hurt, got beat up all the time. Just know that it hurts others more than me, really.” He gave Naoto a significant look before looking at Tatsumi Tailors in the distance.

“But surely…What about the investigation?” Naoto began to plead, not sure how to take his aloofness about death.

“With you on the team? Don’t need me. You could solve the case yourself if I didn’t distract you, and Senpai is strong enough without me. They did fine before I came along and now that you’re working with them, so.” Kanji trailed off, not sure what else to say. He started walking back to the shop. Naoto could tell by the slump of his shoulder as he walked away that he had truly given up. To him, he was was already dead.

“Wait!” They dropped their journal and pen in a rush to catch up, grabbing his sleeve. “What about- what about-” Naoto said. ‘what about me?’ Naoto meant.

 “It’s been great Naoto but it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” He tried to shrug them off, turning to face them again.

“Please, Kanji…I…I can’t lose anyone else I care about!” Their voice rose, cracking at the end. ‘I just don’t want to be alone!’ echoed in his mind, the same tears from their shadow streaking down their face, though they tried to hide it.

Kanji hugged them before he could chicken out. To hell if it wasn’t manly or they didn’t ask for it. He knew better than to just let someone hurt like that.

“I don’t want to lose you either.” He hugged then tighter, this time for himself, before saying “Because I love you.”

He went to let go, preparing for the worst, or for his courage to run out and have him bolt it. But they didn’t let go, still holding his shirt. They looked small, like they collapsed in on themselves, and refused to look up.

“Uh…” Kanji started, not sure if maybe they just didn’t hear them.

“But I’m not…” Kanji heard them mumbling, interrupting his thought. “I’m not even a girl, why…” He could feel them clutch harder to his shirt.

“To hell with that! I don’t care. Liked you before, like ya now. It don’t change anything.” Kanji shouted much too loudly for someone who could not be physically closer if they tried. Naoto had flinched from the remarked, looking at him now. They were as red as the red carnations.

“I think…” Naoto started, much more meek than they had been when the conversation started but not full of any less emotion, “I think I like you too?”

It was more of a question than anything, really. But it was much more than Kanji ever expected in a million years. It was also enough for him to start puking his guts out on the sidewalk, Naoto frantically calling an ambulance.

When he recovered on his hospital bed, there was a bouquet of fresh red carnations.


End file.
